By LEAH DARNELL, student reporter
Coronavirus is affecting everyone in different ways. Front line workers are treating patients with COVID-19. Students of all ages are trying to learn in an online environment. And one teacher, Sarah Darnell, is trying to teach kindergartners online for the rest of the semester while also trying to plan a wedding.
Darnell is sitting in a home office with sweatpants on, a comfortable shirt and her brunette hair pulled up into a ponytail or bun. Her desk is filled with teaching materials, papers and crafts. Yet one small space is reserved for a cup of coffee or a can of Pepsi. She picks up the coffee in her right hand and looks through emails, preparing for her day as an online third-year teacher.
In the midst of trying to teach and grade assignments her students do, Darnell is also doing her own school working and planning to graduate with her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction leadership from Emporia State University in spring 2021. After she receives her master’s degree, she will be able to provide resources and give instruction to other teachers.
With the number of coronavirus cases increasing daily and with her wedding date four months away, Darnell’s home office is a mess. She is trying to teach young kids who don’t understand about not going back to school for the rest of the school year.
In addition to the textbooks for her classes, she has and the projects scattered across the room for her upcoming wedding in August. She is going for a Kansas rustic theme with sunflowers in the bouquet and another rustic touch in the homemade decorations and backdrop.
Through everything, Darnell is trying to remain positive during the midst of coronavirus and still plans to get married in August even if the virus is still around.
(Sarah Darnell is the author’s sister.)